Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Chapter 37 summary
Chapter 37 of 45 · Volume 2 · 10 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 37, George Harris, Eliza, and Harry use disguises and help from Mrs. Smyth to escape detection at Sandusky and reach Canada by boat. Their arrival ends their immediate danger of capture, and they celebrate freedom with prayer and joy despite having no money or home of their own.
What happens
- Under Aunt Dorcas’s care, Tom Loker warns that pursuers watch Sandusky and advises disguising Eliza.
- Jim and his mother travel separately, while George, Eliza, and Harry prepare for the lake crossing.
- Eliza cuts her hair and dresses as a young man; Harry wears girls’ clothes and stays with Mrs. Smyth.
- George overhears Marks describing the fugitives, but the boat’s clerk reports that they are not aboard.
- Marks goes ashore, and the family crosses Lake Erie to Amherstberg without discovery.
- The family gives thanks to God in Canada and finds shelter with a missionary, rejoicing despite having spent everything.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
In this chapter
What to notice
The question links national ideals to individual rights. It frames the family’s escape as a claim to ordinary human independence, not merely physical safety.
Quick check
How does Harry avoid recognition during the lake crossing?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
